The Porch Sessions
by KatyaX
Summary: It seems Buffy and Spike spend a lot of time on her porch, like at the end of Fool for Love, in the middle of Flooded, and who knows when else. One vignette for each season.
1. Prophecy Girl

A/N These in betweener stories take place after an episode (eg. Prophecy Girl) or during an episode (eg. Flooded). It helps to have a good working knowledge of the series, or, at the least, these particular episodes. Also, I know it might annoy some people, but I wrote in Spike's accent because I love apostrophes. This is a habit you can blame Gambit of the X-Men for ;) I don't own any of these characters, etc. Please don't sue; I am poor. I suggest adjusting the formatting to Verdana, standard size or one larger.

*

The Porch Sessions

_Prophecy Girl_

A mangled but still shiny car pulled up in front of a house on the dimly lit Revello Drive at a quarter to two. A honey-haired girl in a white dress stepped out, followed by a red head and a dark haired boy who both hugged her in turn. They laughed about something, and the later two got back into the car and drove away as the first girl walked slowly up to her front door.

"Well, well. What _do _we have here?" whispered a voice from across the street, behind the privet. "All alone, with nobody to hear her scream." A sinister smile gleamed in the moonlight, and the squeak of leather broke the silence.

The girl spun on the spot, and her observer stepped back into the shadows, curious.

A blur came from her left, and the man in the shadows recognized it as a vampire-- But not before the girl did. In a whirl of white fabric, the girl high-kicked her attacker in the face, sending him sailing half-way across the lawn. T he man in the shadow's jaw dropped and he looked annoyed but impressed.

"You gotta be kidding..." he muttered to no one in particular.

The fight continued, but it was short-lived. Another set of heavy kicks the vampire's face and gut followed. As he lay moaning on the grass, struggling to sit up, the girl ran and jumped very high towards the pine tree on the edge of the property. She returned to the vampire's side with a weighty branch she'd broken off, and staked him directly in the heart with what appeared to the man in the shadows as a practiced move.

The cloud of dust disappeared and the girl tossed the branch to the side, brushed off her dress, and made her way up the porch steps as though she did this every night.

Her one man audience looked resigned, but optimistic. "Well, three _is _a lucky number," he conceded. "Maybe this was a good night after all." With that, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off, in search of better hunting grounds.


	2. Becoming, Pt II

_Becoming, Pt. II_

"If you leave this house, _don't _bother coming back." Joyce glared at her daughter as only a mother could.

Buffy's stomach spun and twisted, and something like panic fluttered through her. But it disappeared as quickly as it came on. Her ability to think and breath resumed, and she turned and slammed the door behind her.

A low whistle came from off to the right, and Buffy turned to see Spike leaning on the rail of the porch, smoking a cigarette.

"What the _hell _are you still doing here? I told you to get to the mansion."

"Heard the row. Thought I'd have a listen."

She crossed her arms as she stared at him in disbelief. "That's rude. And creepy. Also? Stop ashing on floorboards."

He flicked his ashes off to the other side, on to the roses. "Yer mum, she's a spitfire, all right. I see where you get it."

"Really? Shut up."

"Nuh, I'm just sayin', you know," he shrugged. "Like mother, like daughter."

"We don't have as much in common as you'd think..." she grumbled, stepping down the stairs.

Spike jumped over the railing and followed after her. "Well, that was pretty _obvious_, considerin' she just kicked you out."

Buffy shook her head in annoyance. "She pushes away anything she doesn't like. I got locked up once. By them, my parents. I learned not to talk about vampires again after that. Wait. Why am I talking to you? Go to the mansion."

"Seems t'me baby Buffy's growin' up. You walked outta that door like the world depended on it."

"It _does_," she insisted. "Or have you forgotten?"

"Yeah. Must be a big burden t'carry. Savin' the world an' all. An' mummy dearest never seems t'appreciate - - "

"_Why _are you pushing my buttons? I'm letting you and Drusilla leave town when I should be staking both of you. What more can you possibly gain by making me _feel bad_?" She stopped to face him.

"Just gettin' you revved up, luv. Teamin' up with sworn enemies, walkin' out on yer mum. Seems t'me you need s'more build up you gonna go off an' kill yer boyfriend." He flicked his cigarette off into the street, and when he turned, it was into an oncoming fist.

Spike dodged a hay maker, laughing with pure amusement. "Y'swing like a girl, Summers! C'mon, chin up, get the blood pumpin'! You wanna take down old Angel, you're gonna have t'do better than _that_!"

"I don't have time to play with you Spike!" Buffy took a massive jump towards Spike and landed a right hook across his jaw.

Spike stumbled backwards but had moved with the swing's follow through, deflecting some of the blow. "That's what I'm talkin' about, Slayer! C'mon, you preppy little bint," he taunted, moving full force toward her. He tackled her around the middle and they fell to the ground. Buffy's knuckles connected to the edge of his eye socket and he yelled out in pain. A well-placed knee under his hip and she flipped him effortlessly off of her. She jumped up and landed a hard kick to his gut.

"You are such a pain in the ass! _GO TO THE MANSION!_" she screamed.

Spike sat up as she stormed off and laughed as he rubbed his stomach ruefully. "That's a good girl, then! You take all that back to Angel! You're _welcome_, Slayer!" He laughed excitedly, "Oh, we are in for a good night!"

"Good night, my ass," she grumbled to herself as she stalked off.


	3. Lover's Walk

_Lover's Walk_

Buffy had a stake in her hand before she even realized who was behind her. "_You're _supposed to be halfway back to Bolivia, or wherever. Beating Drusilla back into loving you again."

"Got some unfinished business, Slayer."

"You have _got _to be kidding! I have two friends in the hospital tonight, thanks to you!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't get yer knickers in a twist cuz yer friends are too stupid to not get captured," he scoffed. "That's not what you're really pissed about, is it? Things didn't end too well with yer charity case, did it? Lemme guess. A year of nursin' him back t'health, get a little too close, swabbin' th' wounds? Good glimpse o'him without a shirt an' all the tinglies come floodin' back - -"

Buffy bounded toward him and tackled him, her stake poised directly above his heart. Spit flecked from her mouth as she screamed in his face. "Shut up! You _SONNOFFABITCH_, just shut up!"

He laughed, infuriatingly, mockingly. "Oh, _please_, Slayer! That's rich! Take it out on me, just cuz I'm right! An' I am right, aren't I? And I don't think I've ever heard you swear before..." he mused.

"_What _is your unfinished business, Spike?" she demanded, not loosening her grip or wavering in her aim.

"Had t'talk t'yer mum," he shrugged, which was difficult as his arms were pinned to his sides by her thighs.

"Oh, _hell _no." Her staking arm pulled back and she looked pleasantly resigned at plunging her weapon into Spike's chest.

"Whoa, whoa! Hey! _First _of all," he started, looking annoyed, "yer mum's a big girl. She can take care of herself!"

"Yeah, my mom, Joyce Summers, the spider slayer. Chosen to rid the Hell Mouth of house hold pests. Thus ends the extent of my mother's taking care of herself abilities." Her arm pulled back again but Spike protested even louder.

"And _secondly_! I wanted to thank her."

"Thank her? You kidnapped my friends and you come to my house to _thank _my _mom_? For what?!" she demanded.

"Yer mum was nice to me, Slayer. She took me in when I was at m'worst. Made me a cuppa hot chocolate an' told me t'keep m'chin up. It was more'n I got from any o'you lot!"

"Well, Spike, it's hard to get sympathy from someone you give a concussion to," she said pragmatically. "You're not going in my house again. Ever."

"Look, I was trying t'be nice."

"Well, you don't get a lot of points for nice, Spike. Even a hundred points for nice would still have you buried well into the negatives."

"C'mon, lemme up. 'M not gonna _do _anything." When she still did not release him, he groaned. "Aw, c'mon, Buffy, I wanna get outta this town much's you want me out. I just thought after everything, I owed her quick thanks. S'fine, I can just _go_."

Buffy contemplated him a moment, then leaped backward off of him. But she did not put away her stake. He sat up and laughed a little. "Pretty protective, Slayer. Last I saw, you were gettin' kicked outta here by her. When'd the big make up occur?"

"Probably sometime around when Drusilla was making the sweaty with a slimy chaos demon in Sao Paolo."

Spike face morphed from amused to pissed and he pointed at her. "Hey! That was uncalled for!" He jumped up and brushed himself off, then dug into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes. "Listen, 'm not here t'start trouble. Just figured..." he trailed off as he lit up. "Just figured I'd come 'round and say thanks for puttin' my head on straight. Tha's all," he whispered, looking away.

"Right." Buffy exhaled and lowered her stake, but did not take her eyes off of Spike. "You're not coming in again," she repeated simply. "Cordelia nearly died tonight, and I just broke up with Angel, again, and now you want to hang out in my kitchen with my mom? Not happening."

"You broke up with Angel," he said blandly. "The bloke you're just friends with. Huh. Called _that _one."

"God, you are so _annoying_," she sighed. "Please? Just go? Because I've had a lousy day, mostly thanks to you. And then twenty minutes after you say you're leaving, I find you walking in the exact _opposite _direction of leaving! Just go away! I don't want to see your face in this town ever again," she added tiredly.

Spike looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it. He took a long drag off his cigarette and nodded with a small wave of dismissal. "Right. I'd say see ya, but you'd just kill me. Tell yer mum I said g'night," he smirked.

"Yeah. Good night," she muttered sarcastically, turning to the door. "Pfft."


	4. DoomedNew Man

_Doomed and A New Man_

There were footsteps, the lazy shuffling kind. Combat boots scrapping on the cement. She heard the flick of a metal lighter, the crackle of a cigarette. A dull ache formed behind her eyes. Buffy rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "Oh, please, no." She took a deep steadying breath and leaned her head against the railing post.

Spike turned up the front walk and stopped short, looking pissed at Buffy sitting on her front steps.

"Oh, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Excuse me? This is _my _house." She noticed he was carrying something under his arm. "What the hell are _you _doing here?"

"Yer mum. She, uh..."

"Is my mother doing your laundry?"

"Don't say it like that."

"There's really no other way to say it. _Why _is my mother doing your laundry?"

Spike groaned and stared up at the sky. "Look, I sorta.... Got kicked out of Xander's place."

"What? He can't kick you out-- You're helpless against the Initiative!"

"Oh, _thank _you. I really appreciate that. Next you'll wanna tell me I'm puttin' on weight. Like _you _should talk. You got yer ass saved by me, your flunkies, and some Cobra Commando reject."

"Cobras were the bad guys, Spike. You're thinking G.I. Joes."

"Nnooo, I'm thinking Cobras. If you'd gotten tazered and yer brain spun 'round with a swizzle stick, you'd be callin' 'em the bad guys too."

Buffy shook her head in frustration. "This is ridiculous. Look, just go back to Xander's and tell him _I _said you had to stay there."

"I will _not_. I'm gonna find my own place. Gonna take a look at some of the grave yards. Keep me 'round the baddies so I don't get too bored."

"Why aren't you off fighting the baddies right now, if you're so keen?"

"Yer mates didn't fancy goin' out fer a few go-'rounds of kick-ass, so I figured I'd get some chores done. Plenty o'hours of darkness left."

"Except you're _not _getting chores done. You're making my mother do them."

"Well, she _offered_! I just called 'er up t'ask a question... 'bout water temperature... An' she told me t'come by." Buffy only stared at him, disbelieving. "You can ask her! God, I don't _need _this." Spike took a few steps toward the house, determined to make it past her.

Her hand shot out and clamped down on his ankle. "Hey, hey, hey, you don't just go into my house," she spat.

"Uh. Actually? I do. My invite's still good, plus yer mum's expectin' me," he added, nodding toward the house. He paused a beat. "Let go, Slayer."

"You know, I am so sick of your 'everything's about Spike' attitude! Exactly what makes you think you're entitled to anything related to my life, or the Scooby's life, _or _my mother's?"

Spike looked taken aback, but then fascinated. "Well, that's an interesting thing t'say. 'Specially by someone who just told me to make Xander take me back in. You are one confused little girl, Buffy."

"Hey! I know exactly what I want. I want you to back the hell up and get outta my house."

"M'not _in _yer house. 'M on yer porch. An' unless you let go, I'm just gonna hafta stay here forever," he smirked.

Buffy removed her hand from his ankle and glared up at him. "I have had a long, crappy day. I don't want to see you right now."

"And yet you're doing everything possible to keep me right here." Buffy scowled and looked away. "You know, Slayer, you got a lotta sides on ya. Usually, I'd say that's annoying. But sometimes the straightforward ones're a bit too easy, boring. You're kinda fun when you're all angry and mysterious."

"Shut up, Spike."

"That's like yer mantra lately. Too bad it doesn't work on me," he muttered.

"Well, your fists don't work on me. So maybe that makes us even."

"You an' me, we' ain't ever gonna be _even_, luv. Not while you're on that side and I'm on this one."

She snorted. "You don't have a side. You're all alone."

He tucked his bundle of clothes tighter under his arm and knelt down on one knee next to her. "_You've _got a lot goin' on, hmm? Yer Captain America findin' out about you. But I don't see 'im here, comparin' notes. An' yer friends? They defended themselves valiantly earlier tonight. Said they were part of your _team_. But I left alla them back at Xander's. Which is not where you are. Toppa that, yer mum invited me over. Does she even know _you're _here?" he taunted. In a much quieter voice he asked her, "If I can cross over, luv.... How long d'you think it'll be til you do the same?"

Buffy stared straight ahead, but her mouth had gone dry and her instinct to pummel Spike had dissipated into queasiness.

"Suppose I've left you with plenty t'think about."

"Good NIGHT, Spike," she dismissed, standing up and stalking away from the house.

"G'night, Slayer," he called after her.


	5. Fool for Love

_Fool for Love_

It was quiet that night, even though it was still early. He wasn't really sure how long they'd been sitting together on the porch for. But he wasn't complaining. It was probably the longest they'd ever spent together without hitting one another.

She looked miserable when he walked up, about as lousy as he'd felt earlier, if that was possible. Both of them shedding tears in one night. Villains of the underworld, beware! indeed.

After what seemed like another ten minutes, or possibly even a half hour, Buffy sniffed and said, "My mom is... Sick."

"I take it it's the kinda sick that don't get better with soup," Spike replied.

"I don't know exactly what it is. But I don't think so, no. I don't know what to do," she said at a length. "I don't know what I'm _supposed _to do. I can fight twenty vampires in a night. Save the world twice a week in between classes. I've even come back from the dead. And I don't know what to do for my own mother."

"S'not somethin' you find in a prophecy. Er one of Giles' books." He looked at her. "That's how life is. Fragile."

She frowned, her brows knit heavily, but she only looked at him, conflicted.

Spike fidgeted with the buckle on his coat sleeve as he stared at the toe of his boot. "I like yer mum," he said simply. "I know I tried t'kill 'er when we first met. Course, she tried to kill me, too," he added. "But she was there fer me when Dru left. An' she doesn't talk t'me like..."

"Like you're beneath her."

Spike's words caught in his throat. "Yeah."

After a moment she turned back to him. "I have to go. It's late. And I'm... Really tired all of a sudden."

He nodded. "All right."

"Spike?"

He looked up. The porch light glowed behind her. "Yeah... Buffy?"

"Thanks for not shooting me earlier. I've had a really bad night. And that would have really been the icing, you know?"

Spike's face twitched from surprise to guilt. "Uh, hey, don't flatter yourself. This wasn't for you, ha, like I'd bother," he muttered.

"Right," she smiled. "Well. Good night, Spike."

"Goodnight, Buffy."


	6. Flooded

_Flooded_

"So, what do you know about finances?"

Spike looked at her long and hard. "Finances?" he repeated. "Money?" This was definitely not the conversation they had started having.

"Yeah. Mom's insurance has run out. And the bills kinda piled up in my... absence," she shrugged.

"I see." Spike looked out into the garden. "Willow, she never mentioned anything."

"Probably didn't want Dawn to worry."

"She could've mentioned it to _me_. Privately. Been with her all summer."

"She probably didn't think you could help."

"You did," he retorted.

"You think differently," she said simply.

"Uh-huh. Thank you?"

"It was a compliment," she assured.

"Don't start, Slayer. I could get used to it," he smiled. The side of her mouth went up but that was as close to amused as she had the strength to get. "So. How bad is it?"

"Extra extra negativo. Back in Black is _not _a song I'll be playing any time soon. I've probably got another two weeks of groceries and lights. And if Dawn keeps eating like she does, we'll knock it down to a week and a half, tops."

"Yeah? And what about Xander's illustrious career in blue collar middle management?"

She put her arms between her knees to block out the chill of the night air. "He's tried to do what he can. He helped out a lot with the plumbing. And he's been great about making sure things get fixed instead of replaced. But he's got a life to keep up too."

"And the ladies? Wil and Tara don't exactly seem the bring home the bacon types," he admitted, leaning back on the stair behind him.

"Ha, yeah, I guess not, not with school. And I can't ask them to... They've already done so much, taking care of Dawn, everything. Besides. It's kinda tacky. Asking someone who brought you back from the dead to lend you money."

He snorted and nodded. "If you want, I've got a couple of ideas. But you probably won't like them."

"I probably won't. But, then again, I did ask you."

He looked at her with a pretty obvious expression and said, "Well, there's always the bank."

"I'm not robbing a bank, Spike."

"Hey, I never said the word 'rob.' But you can get a _loan_. Either on you or the house. If it's worth anything. Don't expect property value in Sunnydale to actually be soaring."

She thought for a moment and then nodded. "That's not a bad idea. I could, couldn't I?"

"You can at least try. Then there's sellin' the house. But I doubt you'd be for that, what with the Munch an' all. Stability. That sorta thing. Bein' yer mom's place."

"Yeah. It's possible, but... I can't really see having the Scooby meetings in a two bedroom apartment. Of course, it worked at Giles'," she shrugged.

"Then, there's always my way."

"Oh. And what is your way? Extortion? Black mail? Fencing televisions from the back of a van?"

He sat up quickly and glared at her. "No! Jeez, Slayer, what do you think I do in my spare time anyway? No. Gambling! Where d'you think I get my money from? An honest day's work? Not hardly. Poker. Dog track. Piddly stuff, but it keeps me rollin' in sexy shirts and scotch."

"I don't know if someone who's died twice in four years is qualified to try her hand at games of chance."

"S'right, maybe. But you don't have t'go it alone. Hate t'break it t'ya, but you got a _lousy _poker face, luv. Me, on the other hand..." he said, looking smug.

"I'm not going to have you play poker to save my house, Spike."

"Now, I bet you never thought you'd say that!"

Suddenly she started to laugh, and he smiled again, feeling accomplished.

"I should go in," she told him, pulling her hair back behind her ear.

He watched her rise and brush off her backside. "Is it because we're talking, instead of fighting?"

She stopped and looked down. "What? No! No, it's not... Maybe. I don't know. I'm just tired."

"Okay," he conceded.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	7. Chosen

_Chosen_

_William_

_You told me I'm the one, but I realize now that I don't know if that was in the "only one who can stop the apocalypse" way, or the "one for you" way. I think the second one is scarier because I've at least faced the apocalypse before, and won. And my relationships never seem to turn out as well. So if I make it back from where I'm going, then maybe there can be a chance at figuring out what's the deal with you and me. If I don't make it back, please, look after Dawn and our friends._

_Buffy_

_*  
_

Spike pushed open the screen door and stepped out on to the porch. Buffy looked from the night sky to him and smiled softly.

He pulled the kitchen door behind him and shut both quietly so as not to wake anyone who might have found it possible to sleep that night. Buffy looked down and chuckled as he handed her his jacket. She turned and he slipped it on her.

"I knew you hadda make it back. Cuz yer damn note was so cryptic I knew you'd wanna see the look of absolute confusion it caused me t'have plastered all over my face."

"Sorry it was so cryptic. I didn't mean it to be. I was just running out of paper, so I didn't get to say everything I wanted," she explained.

"What did you want to say?"

"Oh, you know, the standards. Thanks for saving my life a bunch of times in the past. Thanks for convincing me to save the world. Thanks for the great but guilty sex with awkward after cuddles. Hallmark might have cards for it."

"Just the standards, then," he nodded.

"Right." They were quiet for a moment, then he smiled ironically and pulled the note from his back pocket. He whipped it out with a flourish and cocked his head to the side.

"Oh, jeez," she sighed.

"I especially liked the part where you said 'our friends.' As if there's _one _in the lot b'sides Dawn wouldn't stake me from the word 'go.'"

"Well, I thought it would be kinda rude to ask you to take care of 'my friends.'"

"Yeah, you're lucky I love you an' stuff," he said with forced annoyance. "Otherwise I probably just would've eaten them first chance I got an' who am I kidding? I can't even put it up in fronta you anymore. Feel like such a plank. Every time I'm around you, I just start spillin' everything I think, everything I _feel_." He shoved the letter back into his pocket and leaned against the post.

Buffy wrapped her arms around herself and Spike's jacket squeaked softly. "You probably think you say too much because I don't say anything. Of substance anyway. I just talk _around _all the important stuff. At least you're honest. Even if you're infuriating," she added.

He brightened. "Well, you like the challenge, I reckon. You got that Spider-Man kinda snappy banter an' all. If I didn't know better myself, I'd say it's part of the super power package."

"You trynna tell me I got a big mouth?" she smiled, looking sideways at him.

He shook his head. "Oh, there's like, a bunch o'different directions to go in there. Yer not gonna get me that easy."

"You gonna put up a fight?"

"Heh, yeah. Don't tempt me, Buffy. End of the damn world makes a man do strange things."

"That's all relative to Hell Mouth strangeness."

"You talk plenty," he sighed. "Things you said night 'fore last... You said a lot for not saying a lot."

"I was going for the minimalist approach."

"Minimal. Yeah." He paused a beat then admitted, "I didn't get that," with a shake of his head.

Buffy turned to the sky again, and Spike, behind her, reached out to touch her hair. But she turned to him and he backpedaled before she noticed.

"I'm kinda edgy right now. You wanna sit with me for a while?"

"Yeah! Yeah, of course. Your house," he shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Heh, doesn't feel like it," she sighed, taking a seat on the top stair. "There're, like, fifty girls in there. I haven't actually seen any of my personal effects, minus what I'm wearing, for two weeks."

He nodded as he sat down next to her. "Yeah, s'like a couple dozen Dawns without the personality. Least the Nibblet's good conversation. She came downstairs, y'know that? Maybe a half hour ago. She gave me a hug. You believe that? Six months ago, she's ready t'set me on fire, an' t'night she's hugging me. First yer mum's all axes an' cocoa, then you're takin' the piss outta me while we snog, then Dawnie. It's a Summers' women thing, I think."

"Oh, God, don't let Dawn go down the same road I did," she pleaded. "Of course, she already kinda has. She sits in the kitchen whittling stakes while getting obsessed over vampire boys who cause large amounts of destruction and then break her heart. I'm not doing very good by her, am I?"

He looked at her with frustration. "Hey, she's a damn sight better fixed up than most of the girls here."

"Yeah, stop reminding me," she said, not unkindly. "It's all I'm thinking about."

"Well, time's runnin' out t'worry about it."

"I know. This plan of mine, it's either going to work or it's not. There's just no stopping it all now." She rested her chin on her knees and looked thoughtful but a bit pouty.

"No. There isn't. The Biggest Big Bad is gonna come down on us, an' the gates o'Hell are gonna be flung wide open. An' we're doin' the flingin'. So it's now er never."

"Spike, I... Dawn's right," she said, distracted by her own thoughts. "You really do tell the truth. Talk like an adult."

"Well, someone's gotta play daddy when you're away. Otherwise it's just Xander an' Andrew arguin' over who gets the toy in the cereal box."

"And Giles is no help?" she suggested.

"He's too busy trynna learn Cantonese."

She smiled but said nothing. The sides of their shoes touched and she started at their feet for a moment. "Spike, we're talking about everything except why we're sitting here together."

"I thought... It was because Faith still had your room," he finished awkwardly.

"Partly."

"Ah, Buffy..." he said uncomfortably.

"No. Don't interrupt me. Please," she said, turning to him. "We talk around all the important stuff. And I don't have time for that anymore. We don't have time. I need to say something to you. And you need to really listen. Please?" she said again.

"'M listenin'."

"You and I have both done very terrible things to each other over the years. Putting aside the whole Slayer versus Vampire thing..." she said, shaking the thought away. "We haven't been very good people to each other." She paused for a moment, gathering the right words. "You might have hurt me, Spike, but I broke your heart."

"Buffy, stop it - "

"No, let me finish! I need to say this. What you did... Was only seconds... But for years, I treated you like... I'm sorry, Spike. Even if you didn't have a soul, you still tried all the time. I've got a soul, and I wasn't as nice to you as you ever were to me."

"Hey, _wait_! Stop right there! You were the one that got me out of the basement! Stood up for me when you brought me back here. _You _got that soddin' chip outta my head! And - -"

"All _after _you got your soul back," she interrupted.

"I was a moron to think you should have trusted me before I did, Buffy! I had no right- Never did- to you. To being part of your life. You _cannot _sit here and tell me you're sorry for treating me exactly as I deserved. I _never _treated you like you deserved! I say I love you for two years and then I... Try to rape you. This conversation isn't happening," he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

She turned away and fidgeted with a loose string on the sleeve of Spike's coat. "We're pretty lame, huh? Sitting here. Having a pathetic-off. Worst way to spend our last night on earth ever," she sighed.

He shook his head and then took her hand. She looked at his hand on hers and then into his eyes. "Look. Buffy. I never apologized for it because there aren't _words _for it. I'd have t'... Invent a whole new alphabet just so I could _make _the words. I went to get my soul back t'say I'm sorry. I've spent the last year tryin' t'say 'm sorry. An' I still know it's not enough. It never will be. I wanted your trust, and then I did what I did. Just believe me when I say that you don't have anything at all to apologize about. Nothin' I wanna hear you say, anyway."

"It doesn't really matter when the world's gonna end. We're never going to unravel us, are we?" She squeezed his hand. They sat next to each other, their shoulders touching, their hips against each others.

"Aren't you tired?" he asked her after a bit.

"No. Not so much."

"I'm, ah... I'm gonna go in," he said quietly. "I have some things to think about. If you don't mind?" He stood and looked down at her.

She shook her head. "No, of course not. But, hey. Here." She got up and started taking off his coat. "I-I wasn't actually cold," she admitted. "I just wanted to wear it." She smiled shyly as she shrugged it off.

"Nuh, you can hold on to it. But I'll want it back," he clarified. "We're kicking ass tomorrow. S'like m'good luck charm."She smiled back at him, and he reached out to brush her hair back from her face. "Goodnight. For now," he added.

"Goodnight, for now," she answered.


End file.
